


Day One Hundred Eighty || Dowsing

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [180]
Category: Naruto, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 02:56:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19417045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Stuck in the middle of nowhere without water, it's up to Hinata to bring their expedition relief...but can she find it?





	Day One Hundred Eighty || Dowsing

None of them, when they hatched this ridiculous plot, ever claimed to be a learned adventurer or traveler. Sasuke and Itachi had lived in one of the major cities when boys, forced to flee when civil war broke out. They then lived in a forest home. And while Sasuke took a few beast-hunting contracts, they never took him very far. Hinata, too, was a child of a city: one by the southern seas. But her family’s fleeing also took them to a secluded home, and her father - too paranoid of being attacked by el’kor - rarely let either of his daughters leave. And the light mage, the unofficial leader of their expedition, may have been well-traveled when younger, but...well, she was young. And kept hidden by her two teenage caretakers. A lux mage, after all, was - and still is - a rare thing...and there were fears she’d be taken...or worse.

So, when their journey leaves them with empty waterskins and no immediately viable water source...none of them are even remotely prepared.

“Can’t you just...make water?” Sasuke asks as they check the rest of their provisions. They’re currently astride a large plain, with no signs of water anywhere.

Hinata, to whom the question was directed as a water mage, give him a cool glance. “I can’t  _ make _ water, no. No mage  _ makes _ their element.”

“I make fire.”

“No...you control it. Fire is just heat. You use your energy - your ven - to control heat, which can take the shape of fire,” the lux mage cuts in. “Ven is not your element - it is energy that is specifically... _ tuned _ for an element. Which is why you cannot control water as Hinata does, nor could she control fire as you do. When you wield an element, you use your energy to manipulate it to your will. Just as I manipulate the body when I heal. I feed it energy, and it uses that energy to speed up what would naturally be its healing process. Of course...other things require more... _ interference _ on my part, but that is the gist.”

Sasuke contemplates that a moment. While he’s never been  _ officially _ taught about ven, just what his parents have described, he’s never made that connection. Fire, he supposes, is a bit...unique that way.

“There’s water in the air,” Hinata notes, “but it would take far too much energy to gather enough to make a difference.”

“...what about the earth?” Itachi pipes up. “Is there not water beneath the surface?”

“There is...but depending on how far down it is, it would be just as taxing,” Hinata explains. “Water is a heavy element, as is earth...it takes a lot of energy to move it straight up, especially through the ground. If we had a terra mage, it would be easier…”

“Well...isn’t terra also a child of tenebris?” Sasuke muses. “Just like igni and aer are both children of lux? Wouldn’t you have the best chance of all of us to move it?”

“I...guess I would. But then I’d have to do both, and it would be even more taxing.”

A thoughtful hand at her chin, the lux mage seems to try to come up with a plan. “...what if you were to dowse for it?”

“Dowse…?”

“It is an old technique the el’kor use to find water. A strange method that uses a split stick to locate water close to the surface. But...perhaps rather than doing so literally, you could use your ven to ‘feel’ into the earth and find a place more easily accessible…?”

Hinata hesitates a moment. “I...could try?”

“Well, we just finished our water...we can go a few days without it before we start to get into real danger,” Itachi murmurs. “You have some time to look before we become desperate.”

“Do you think you could do it?” Sasuke asks. “Because if not...it might be our lives.”

Worry creases her brow. “...I-I…”

“This is my fault,” the healer murmurs. “I...was not prepared. Do not place that burden upon Hinata’s shoulders.”

“At least you’re taking responsibility for once,” Sasuke mutters, ignoring the sharp look he gets from his brother.

“...I can do it.”

The other trio look to Hinata with varying expressions. “...are you sure?” the lux mage hushes. “I don’t want to lay this upon you if -”

“No! I...I can do it. Just...be prepared for me to be a bit tired. But I think - I know I can do it.”

Exchanging glances, the rest then nod. “...all right then,” Sasuke offers. “Guess we’re doing this.”

Packing up their camp, the group hitches their bags to their saddles, mounting their horses and leaving the treeline behind for the great plain that stretches out before them. In the distance, the mountain range they must cross to reach the Luxerian homeland awaits. It’s barely a bluish smudge along the horizon...but Sasuke hopes they’ll reach it soon. Because the sooner they reach the empty remnants of the capital, the sooner - he prays - his brother will finally be cured...and they can go home.

...even if he gets the sneaking suspicion it won’t be so simple.

They make good distance, all things considered. The open, arid plain is home to a great amount of wind...and by the time they stop for the evening, the group is all but sick of it. Skin dry and lips cracking, there’s no respite come evening. It slows a bit, but never stops. The lux mage manages to urge their horses into lying in a line, providing just a hint of protection. A fire is nearly impossible, even with the pair of igni mages to feed it.

But the real test comes to Hinata.

Eyes closed in concentration, she walks a small distance from the group, hands planted to the ground to let energy seep into the soil in search of water.

The rest try not to stare as she works, giving fleeting glances for any sign of success.

She returns a while later, expression wilted. “It’s too deep...at least thirty feet if I had to guess.”

The lux mage hesitates. “...we’ll look for a low spot tomorrow you can try. That may help.”

“Low spot?” Sasuke asks. “This is a level plain! I doubt anything will change! We should turn back first thing, and find another way to the mountains.”

“There  _ is _ no other way,” Hinata rebukes. 

“There has to be!”

“Please,” the healer cuts in, tone strained. “...for now, we should rest. There’s nothing to be done in the dark, either way.”

Clearly not impressed, Sasuke simply skulks off to one side, leaning against his horse’s middle to take advantage of the cover, no matter how small. After a sheepish pause, Hinata does the same.

“...you really can’t reach it?” he asks after a pregnant pause. 

“I...I don’t know. I think I can...reach it. But pulling it up through so much rock and earth...I don’t know if I have the energy.”

He gives her a glance. “...is there a way we could...give you energy?”

“Um...maybe…?”

“Well, it’s like the lux mage says: when she heals, she gives a body energy. So...why couldn’t we do something similar?”

Staring up at the stars, the water mage considers that. “...I guess...we could try?”

“Gods know I can’t sleep, so...sure. Let’s try.”

The pair move back to where she’d tried dowsing, ignoring the elder pair’s curious glances. “...so it’s all about the same level?”

“Yeah...at least, in the range I can sense it. There’s no telling how it might change. It might even get worse further from here.”

“Okay, well…” Sasuke pauses, considering...what exactly to do. “You find it, and...when you do, tell me. I’ll try to transfer some energy.”

Giving a determined nod, Hinata does just that. A faint blue glow emanates from beneath her palms, bleeding into the earth.

“...got it.”

“Okay…” Putting hands on her shoulders, Sasuke focuses. He’s done this before with his brother, but...well, they’re related, let alone the same element. He has no idea if this will work… “...try it.”

His own hands glow a fiery red, the pair working in tandem. For a moment, nothing...and then -

“I-I got it!”

“Don’t lose your concentration!”

Hearing Hinata’s cry, the other two mages join them, filling water skins as Hinata brings a large pool to the surface. Mounts are then led over to drink, the humans doing the same. Only once they’ve all drank to bursting does Hinata let the energy fade. Slowly, the water seeps back into the earth.

The group all glance to each other.

“...well, at least we know it works,” Itachi muses.

“At this depth, at least...it might be more draining should the water table lower later on,” the lux mage cautions. “Hinata, how do you feel…?”

“A...a little tired, but Sasuke lent me some energy. I’ll be fine after I get some sleep.”

“Well...good. Good. That’s a relief. Now...we all need rest. Back to it in the morning.”

With the light mage and Itachi taking first watch, the younger pair retreat to try to sleep. “...I knew you could do it,” Sasuke murmurs, eyes closing.

“...thanks.”

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was...so random xD Google says dowsing can be for more than just water, but! I thought that fit this verse pretty well. Not a lot of room for shippiness (besides some teamwork and praise), but...well, it was kinda there, lol
> 
> I can't believe June is almost over...and with it, our unofficial halfway mark! Technically I think day 182 is the most halfway (half of 365 is 182.5 lol), but! I'm gonna try, for those of you who care, to have a bit of a Q&A session on Tumblr June 30 and July 1 as a bit of a celebration for the big marker! You can ask me, or Sasuke and Hinata, any questions you want! It can be about certain universes I write them in, canon stuff, or just...whatever you want. I thought that might be a fun way to note the milestone. Technically the inbox on Tumblr is ALWAYS open for this kind of thing, but...I figured I'd try to make a thing of it, lol
> 
> Aaanyway, for now...I need sleep, lol - I'll post more about it when I get back online tomorrow on Tumblr. For my AO3 peeps, you can head over there if you want, but...I guess there's no real way to ask questions beyond comments on the fics...which I guess you can do if you want? xD But for now, I'ma call it a night - thanks for reading!


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